The old school Raiders fans will fondly recall the 1976 AFC Championship game. That day, the famed Steel Curtain defense of Pittsburgh was pierced time and again as the two-time defending Super Bowl champions were humbled at the Oakland Coliseum. The Raiders, beaten by the Steelers in the previous two conference championship games, knew they were heading in for a fight, and they were more than up for it. No one embodied that warrior spirit more than John Vella, the Raiders’ rugged second-round pick out of USC, who got into a confrontation with the Steelers linebacker Jack Lambert, also known as ‘Mad Man Jack.’

Lambert was going after Raiders running back Clarence Davis in the end zone after he scored a touchdown. However, Vella was not having it and jumped into action. “Lambert was kind of roughing up Clarence, so I grabbed him and threw him off. It might have been unusual to get into it with Lambert, but we were a team that wouldn’t back down from anyone,” Vella said in 2001. This fighting spirit is how many Raiders fans will remember Vella, after the news of his passing was announced on Wednesday.

The 1976 season was the highlight of Vella’s career. The 43rd overall pick in the 1973 Draft started 14 games and held down the line during the Raiders’ Super Bowl XI run. In the championship game, he and his fellow linemen kept Ken Stabler clean, allowing just one sack against the fearsome Purple People Eaters of Minnesota. Behind their blocking, Clarence Davis ran wild for 137 yards in a dominant 32-14 victory. You see, Vella was the linchpin of the rough-and-tumble, take-no-prisoners Raiders of the ’70s, a player who fit right into John Madden’s hard-nosed vision for the team. Although the cause of death wasn’t shared at the time of reporting, the Raiders made a heartfelt post remembering Vella’s legacy:

“The Raiders Family mourns the passing of John Vella, a standout on the dominant Raider offensive lines of the 1970s and a starter on Oakland’s Super Bowl XI Championship team…

“A versatile performer and a ferocious competitor, Vella played both guard and tackle, seeing action in 84 games with 48 starts in eight seasons with the Silver and Black. He finished his career with Minnesota in 1980. The prayers of the entire Raider Nation are with the Vella family at this time.” Nicknamed “Happy Fella” for how he was so well received by his fans, a fan paid tribute, chronicling the one time they met Vella,

“He was such a nice guy. He owned a sports store in Dublin, CA. I was in there one time, and he let me try on his Super Bowl ring.” Vella owned the Raider Locker Room in Castro Valley, California, in 1987, a store that specialized in selling Raiders gear and other collectibles until a lawsuit agreement between the NFL Properties, the league’s marketing division, and Vella led the latter to change the name of his stores from “Raider Locker Room” to “John Vella’s Locker Room” and to stop using the Raiders’ name and logo without authorization.

Vella’s legacy as a no-nonsense player for the Raiders and his contributions to their Super Bowl-winning season are impossible to ignore.  Now, as the Raiders push forward in a new era—new city, new leadership, new faces, the fans remember their “Happy Fella.”

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Sin City loses its ‘Happy Fella’

Vella played 84 games for the Raiders with 48 starts, but was hampered by injuries during his three final seasons with the team. It was his standout season in 1976 that catapulted him into the hearts of Raiders fans. He started 14 regular games at right tackle during the season and then started three playoff games protecting Pro Bowl quarterback Ken Stabler, allowing him to flourish.

He endeared himself to the Raider Nation as a guy who battled in the trenches against the NFL’s toughest defenses. But off the field, the fans knew a different side of him. Not every player stays connected with the community after their playing days, but Vella did, running John Vella’s Raider Locker Room for years, making sure fans could rep the Silver and Black with pride.

For many, Vella wasn’t just a former player. He was a familiar face, because how else would he be the ‘Nice Guy’ or the ‘Happy Fella’? On that note, another comment read: “Such a nice man. We went on a few of the away game trips he organized, always first class. RIP John.” It wasn’t just about selling Raiders gear; it was about keeping the Raider spirit alive. Whether it was arranging trips for fans or swapping stories about the glory days, Vella made sure the connection between players and fans never faded.

“Sad to hear. My wife and I had a great time on one of his ‘Locker Room Tour’ trips. Stayed with the team in Arizona—CWood’s rookie year.” To put it simply, the man knew how to bring people together. So Vella fully deserves the Raiders’ salute.

“Raider Nation Salute,” wrote another fan, keeping it short but full of meaning. Because in the end, that’s what Vella was—a Raider through and through. Rest easy, “Happy Fella.”